Whispers in the Water
by Panda Puffin
Summary: A large deluxe hotel in the middle of a fog invested forest with strange whispering water? Why not?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, basically a story to get me writing again, and I thought I'd post it... which... also means that's it may or may not be crap. .-. But I dunno' if I can be the judge of that- it's up to you, I suppose. :P**

"Well, it's not exactly a beach, is it?"

The Doctor glanced up at Rose as she spoke, her eyebrow raised in obvious amusement. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore a pair of pre-faded jeans and Zelda t-shirt that she had picked up in America a while ago, but never really worn. He looked at their surroundings, standing up from the spot he'd been kneeling at and cast her a sheepish smile.

"Suppose not," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. He'd promised her a sunny beach, with clear sparkling water that turned a brilliant sunset colour at exactly 4 p.m. It was a planet that was inhabited by creatures that would pass for a human if it weren't for their tails and ears of an earth animal, different animals depending on the person. Instead, they'd ended up… well, wherever they where. Tall trees surrounded them, their bark a rather odd shade of red, and the fog that curled around them was heavy. Not even the sun penetrated it. The ground below them was soft, almost watery like a marsh. And it stank there. In fact, it reeked like something he couldn't put a name to, and probably wouldn't want to, though he knew it would more than likely bug him until he thought of something to describe it. "But hey, a creepy fog covered forest, that's better then some beach, anyway! What's not to see?"

Rose smiled, holding her hand out in front of her face, palm facing out towards him. "My hand in front of my face?" She suggested, giggling as he rolled his eyes and strode towards her, holding his own hand out in front of himself, shrugging. He could see well enough.

"Ah, come on, it's not that bad."

"Maybe not for you," she sniffed, squinting through the fog, "but I don't think I could walk through this."

The Doctor smiled, looping his arm through hers, and searching the small clearly they had landed in for some kind of pathway that lead deeper into the woods, and nodding as he saw one off to the left. "Then I suppose' I'll just have to escort you then, eh?"

"I suppose you will," she replied, bumping her shoulder against his playfully as they headed towards the pathway. Rose matched his pace easily, trying to see through the thick fog every step of the way, her brow furrowed as she concentrated.

Besides the sickening smell in the air, the place smelled like it had recently rained, and half of the plants around them seemed almost dead, as though they hadn't been touched by sunlight in years. Their footsteps echoed around them as they walked, leaves crunching under their feet. Rose jumped slightly as a twig snapped under her foot, making the Doctor smirk. Rose glared at him, biting her lower lip and looking away to inspect the forest.

"Rotten eggs, petrol, and spoiled milk," the Doctor said suddenly, causing Rose to jump once again. She glanced at him, frowning.

"What?"

"That's what it smells like," he explained, motioning with his free hand to the air. "Rotten eggs, petrol, and spoiled milk."

"And how long has that been bothering you?"

"Since we got here- blimey, it reeks though! Wouldn't mind some honey right now. Then again, honey's a bit sweet for me. Nice in coffee and on toast, but the smell is terribly strong. Not my cup of tea."

Rose rolled her eyes, knowing it was only him that would absolutely have to figure that out, or else he'd go mad. She thought about telling him so, but decided against it to avoid the long rant of 'how he was a Time Lord, he couldn't help it'. Instead, she changed the subject.

"So, where exactly are we?" She asked after several moments of silence. They'd unhooked their arms, and were now strolling down the path with their hands locked together.

"Well… based on the… uh, weather and the, err…"

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Not a clue," he admitted, grinning as they hopped over a log, "but isn't it more fun that way? Not knowing what's out there-"

"Fog at every corner," she teased, laughing at the expression on his face.

"Oi! It's not everyday we end up in a forest. I quite like them. Certainly more peaceful than a beach."

"Maybe, but at least you can see something before you trip," she shrugged, curling a finger around a strand of hair.

"What?" The Doctor asked, just before his foot caught something and he face planted into the mud below their feet. Rose covered her mouth, biting her tongue to hold back the laughter building in her throat. He scrambled to his feet, groaning and wiping the mud from his face, shaking his head to get the mud out of his hair. "I thought you couldn't see anything!" He whined, making a face.

"I can't! That was just luck!" Rose snickered, taking his hand in his again. "Come on, there's got to be someplace here that you can clean up!"

XXX

Finally, after seemed like hours of a fuming and rather stinky Doctor, they slipped out into another clearing, where the fog was noticeably less thick. The ground was a pale orange, and twisting trees that bent this way and that stuck up from the ground, reminding Rose of 'Alice in Wonderland'. A lake was off to right, and it almost seemed to glow, even in the fog. They had eventually ended up climbing up a hill, on which Rose had managed to keep her balance, mainly due to her gymnastics classes, but rather to her amusement, the Doctor had slipped several times. Dripping mud now covered his brown pinstriped suit. Rose chuckled, and brushed a bit off his cheek. He just huffed, shaking his right hand in disgust as he tried to shake off the mud that clung to his skin.

Rose took a step forward into the clearing, curiously looking at the trees. She started towards the lake, kicking rocks as she went. The Doctor followed behind, more slowly. She frowned as her head began to spin, and she had to stop walking to steady herself- only to let out a yelp as a rock whizzed past her head, and the Doctor rushed past her with a grin, watching as the rock skipped across the water, sending water droplets spraying into the air.

The Doctor flinched, looking rather surprised. "Oh, cold!" He yelped, rubbing his cheek where the water had made contact with his skin. Rose snickered and sat down, watching as he picked up another rock, and turned to look at her.

"You OK?" He asked, seeing that she had sat down.

"Bit lightheaded. Probably the fog."

He nodded uncertainly, but turned around to continue his game. She watched for several minutes, amused at how he jumped back each time to water game up, clearly not wanting the water to hit him again. Rose turned to look behind her at a snapping sound- one the Doctor clearly had no interest in- knowing it was probably just an animal.

_'Rose, run!'_

Instantly, Rose jumped to her feet, eyes darting around the clearing. "Why?" She gasped, finally settling her eyes on the Doctor. However, he was still playing his game. He turned at her voice though.

"Why what?"

"You told me to run…" She muttered quietly, trialing off. He dropped the rock in his hands, and shook his head, clearly just as confused as she was.

"No I didn't, I was skipping rocks. Didn't say a word. Are you sure you're OK?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Must have just been my imagination."

He shrugged, and once again returned to his game. He must really find it amusing, though who knew what went on in his head.

Suddenly, he stopped, and raised an eyebrow, glancing curiously at Rose. "Do you smell that?"

Rose stopped and sniffed the air. Apart from the horrible smell the Doctor was giving off, there was something else now. "Mmm… chicken?" She guessed, following him as he started off in the opposite direction of the lake.

"Yeah… some kind of spice, too. A spicy spice." He grinned, mouthing the words 'spicy spice' over and over again as they hooked arms once more and walked along the flat ground. "That's fun to say- spicy spice. It's a spicy spice, Rose! Try saying that five times fast! Spicy spice, picy spice, spicy pice, spies spice, pies…"

Rose giggled as the sentence got mixed up, and he smiled, running his tongue along his lips' as the smell of chicken got stronger. Finally, they came upon the last thing Rose expected to find in the forest. The Doctor turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow.

"A large deluxe hotel in the middle of a fog infested forest," he smirked. "Why not?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own Doctor Who, sadly. D: If I did, Donna would have stayed or at least she would still remember. . **

"Are you sure it's safe here?"

The Doctor glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, "Do you want to leave?"

"_No!_ Not at all, no. It's just… an alien hotel… I dunno'."

The Doctor snorted, folding his arms behind him on the bed. "It's not that different from a human hotel." Rose gave him an odd look. He sighed. "Okay, so some of the employee's here are a bit different then you had expected, tentacles and all, but think what it must be like for them, seeing you, all pink and yellow?"

"You're all pink and brown." She reminded him, glancing around the room curiously. The walls were a bit odd, changing colours every five minutes. When they'd arrived in the room, it had been a peach colour, which the Doctor had hated, but now it was TARDIS blue. The Doctor had explained that it changed according to your train of thoughts, changing colour when your mood changed or to the colour of something that you enjoyed. The room had only one window, and it had become a deep midnight black outside, to there wasn't really any point at the moment. Other then that, it wasn't a very fancy room, but the Doctor had purposely asked for the simplest room.

The Doctor wrinkled his nose and shook his head, "Ah, yes, but they've got superior hearing. They could hear my double heart beat."

"What difference does that make?"

"Uhm… well, no difference, I suppose."

Rose snorted and laid down next to him in the bed, staring at the ceiling, "I'm surprised they let you in though. I swear half of the aliens in the lobby were trying to avoid you, smelling like you did!"

He grinned, ruffling his own hair with a chuckle. "Ah, but see, I've got charm. And swag… is that what you people say, swag?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't fit you."

"What's that meant to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." Rose smiled, shaking her head. He'd taken a shower nearly as soon as they'd gotten to their room. Rose jumped as there was a knock at the door. She glanced at the Doctor curiously, receiving only a shrug. Mouthing 'thanks' sarcastically, and sat up uncertainly. "Uhm… come in?"

The door opened revealing an employee carrying a tray and they rolled it inside. She- assuming she was a she- had neon orange skin and a bright purple tongue. Her eyes were a blazing forest green, and Rose couldn't help but shiver at the odd look in them. He she long blonde hair, much like Rose's, but it was streaked with blue. She wore something that reminded her of a female Egyptians clothing. "I'm sorry. Was I interrupting anything?"

"No," both the Doctor and Rose said instantly. The employee smiled and nodded, pushing the cart in farther.

"Room service," she said brightly, holding her hands behind her back and bowing slowly, keeping her eyes trained on the Doctor as though she were waiting to be dismissed.

"We didn't order anything?" The Doctor muttered in surprise, sitting up on the bed and raising an eyebrow. The employee nodded.

"Every night, you'll get a free meal for staying."

"Ah, the chicken," the Doctor concluded, hopping to his feet. To Rose's surprise, he bowed to her like she had to him, then shook his hand in an odd motion- one that wasn't quite a shooing motion, but close. The employee just nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

They both sat down to eat, crossing their legs and settling into an unusual silence.

Nearly halfway into the meal, there was another knock at the door. They both looked up as the door opened and the same girl poked her head inside curiously.

"The pool is free of charge for another six hours if you two are interested…" she said uncertainly.

The Doctor looked ready to shake his head 'no', but Rose spoke first. "Yeah, sure. A dip in the pool would be nice," she smiled at the girl, watching her nod and close the door again. The Doctor looked at her, annoyed.

"I don't swim," he said, folding his arms like a child.

"You don't have to. I mean, obviously you can't swim. You always avoid the pool in the TARDIS," she teased, giving her a smile in which her tongue poked out between her teeth.

"Of course I can!" He sniffed indignantly, raising an eyebrow. Rose giggled again, shaking her head. He was too proud, which was his greatest weakness.

"Oh, I wouldn't think so. You were even avoiding the water when you were skipping rocks!"

He looked like he was about to spit something back, but instead, he jumped to his feet, whirled around and snatched something from the closet and stomped into the bathroom. Rose smirked, doing a little victory dance before jumping up and hurrying to the closet. Hanging near the back was a purple bikini, and she quickly took it and changed into it before the Doctor came back out.

XXX

There was no doubt that he was nervous when they entered the room in which the pool was. He kept shifting from foot to foot and fidgeting with the strings on the swimsuit he had chosen, which was just a plain dark blue. Rose was actually starting to wonder if he actually couldn't swim, but he looked determined to prove he could. She nearly expected him to stomp over to the pool and just jump in.

Instead, he was actually walking away, towards an employee. "Oi, where are you goin' then?" She accused, following him. He said nothing. Not to her, anyway.

"Where is this water from?" The Doctor asked to employee, pointing behind him. The man frowned and shrugged.

"It's just water from the lake outside. We made sure it was clean though, so if that's what you're worried about."

"No…. but there's something about it, something not quite right…" the Doctor said slowly, frowning. Rose sighed, shaking her head, but said nothing. "It… feels different. Unnatural."

"Don't make excuses," Rose snorted quietly, shuffling her feet. The Doctor continued to ignore her. "You haven't even touched it!" She added, rolling her eyes. Still he ignored her. The man shook his head and walked away, leaving the Doctor with a very confused look on his face.

"Please?" She asked, hooking arms with him. He glanced at her, looking ready to refuse, before finally, he nodded. Rose smiled and then gasped as she was scooped up in his arms, a wide grin in his face. "What…" she trailed off and shook her head quickly, wide eyed, and flailed in his grip. Her arms hooked behind his neck tightly, glaring at him.

The Doctor just grinned and slinked towards the pool. She didn't even have time to squeak before she was dumped into the cold water, her grip breaking at the sudden drop. Her first action would have been to swim back up, but instead, she grabbed a bar on the side and didn't move. It wasn't like being under normal water. She could hear the Doctor's laughs echoing around her. She could hear people from across the room talking and the swish of water as the people swam in the water. But buried underneath it all, she could hear people screaming in pain and crying. Her heart ached and she spun around in the water searching desperately for the source of the screams and cries that were beginning to get louder, and kept getting louder until her ears ached and her eyes stung.

Rose cringed and then jumped as she felt the floor beneath her foot. She tried to push herself up, but nothing happened, her muscles weak. She tried to cry out, but water rushed into her mouth. Her lungs were desperate for air, and her throat burned. Her eyelids slowly drooped closed and everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

He'd jumped in without thinking. At the sight of Rose's sinking figure, he'd been too panicked to think. He should have called out for help. Called for a lifeguard or something. The pool was deeper then a humans, probably by at least four feet. And even with a human's pool, he refused to go for a swim. It wasn't that he couldn't swim. Not really, anyway. It was just that his limbs refused to properly work in water. Yes. That was it.

But as his body hit the water, his hand already outstretched to grab Rose's, he nearly yanked his head back above the water at the all too familiar cries. He opened his mouth and choked on the sudden gulp of water, his hands clamping over his ears, even though he knew it wouldn't make much of a difference. The screaming was inside his head, and inside his head only. He could be deaf and he'd still hear it. Panic rising in his chest, he resurfaced, spitting out the water and coughing. Someone yelled in frustration, telling him to get out and let a lifeguard help. But nerves were tearing apart his stomach. Rose couldn't last that long. She was human. He glanced down again, clinging to the edge of the pool before pushing off and attempting to swim down.

His hand tightened around her wrist, and he used her weight and the water to pull him down so he was standing on his feet before securing his grip on her wrist. The screaming seemed to be growing louder the longer he was underwater. He opened his mouth in shock as another cry started to overlay it, and water rushed into his mouth again. He gritted his teeth, somehow managing to pick her up in a way that he'd still be able to swim (if he knew how) and pushed off. He felt a hand wrap around his free wrist, and didn't bother to check who it was, knowing it was a lifeguard.

As he resurfaced once again, the lifeguard cursing at him angrily, they both scrambled out of the water, pulling Rose out with them. The Doctor fell backwards, coughing up water, his eyes shut tight as he tried to get it out of his lungs, spluttering and squeezing his eyes shut. His chest was heaving, his hair clinging to his forehead. He groaned and scrambled to his knees, instantly crawling towards Rose. The lifeguard glared at him, holding out a hand.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I need you to stand back," the lifeguard ordered, pushing him back slightly. The Doctor honestly didn't have the breath to argue and very slowly, wide eyed and nervous, he scooted backward, resting his back against a chair and pulling his knees to his chest. The lifeguard was preforming CPR with practiced ease, but still, the Doctor felt nervous. She was going to be OK, wasn't she? Of course she was. She was Rose. Rose was always OK…

But that wasn't true. She was human. Humans never seemed to be OK. The Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair, and nearly scrambled straight back over to Rose as she started to cough up water and the lifeguard leaned back, stood up, and just walked away, leaving her on the floor. He wanted to make sure he was fine. But what if she was mad at him? After all, it was him who threw her into the water in the first place. If he hadn't done so, none of that would have happened.

However, he didn't have to make a decision, because Rose sat up, shivering, and as her eyes rested on him, she instantly scrambled towards him. He stood up as she stumbled to her feet and collapsed into his arms. It didn't take him long to realise she was crying. He sighed and rubbed her back quietly, as he shuffled them over to one of the chairs and sat down, pulling her into his lap. He took one of the extra t-shirts off of a table and pulled it over his head, squirming slightly in the uncomfortable fabric.

"What was that?" She finally whispered, leaning her head against his chest and looking up at him with watering eyes.

"What was what?" He muttered innocently, stroking her hair to sooth her. She glared at him. He sighed, "That… it… I'm not sure you really want to know," he finally whispered, closing his eyes as he relaxed into the chair. Rose sat up a little, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"If you couldn't tell, it wasn't a happy sound," he muttered. "The cries?" He wanted to distract her from the subject, but she'd only bring it back up again, whether it was now or later. He wanted to apologize for throwing her into the water, and for even bringing them to this planet.

"Yeah, but… you seem to know what they were. Or who was making them, anyway."

The Doctor sighed, giving up. "Those cries were people dying, Rose. More specifically, Time lords dying." He glanced away from her as she stiffened in surprise, her mouth hanging open very slightly. "Someone's been inside my head," he spat coldly. "I told you there was something wrong with the water…" He shoved her lightly off his lap and stood up. She shook slightly, but quickly stabilized herself. He reached for her hand- more for his comfort then hers. She took it, not meeting his gaze. He could tell she was sorry for asking.

The Doctor only smiled, a sad smile, and took her hand in his, motioning for the doorway, "We should probably get back."

XXX

Rose was hopping very lightly up and down on the hotel bed like nothing had happened earlier. He'd ended up apologizing and she'd gone on a long rant about how it wasn't his fault and how he needed to forget that ever happened, which he'd gladly done. He was sitting on the ground, watching her jump as she rambled on about her life before him, which possibly should be the second most boring thing in the world, but Rose added a spark of life to it. She finally collapsed on the bed, pursing her lips.

"So, what is wrong with the water then?" She asked uncertainly. The Doctor leaned back, glancing up at the ceiling as he thought.

"Well, I don't think it's water exactly. Look like water but isn't. Some creature that's taken the form of water, maybe," he said, standing up. "But we're not going to find out."

Rose started at him in disbelief, frowning. "What?" She said, hopping to her feet. "Why?"

"Because it's dangerous."

"So? Since when did we let that bother us?"

"Since now!" He snapped crossly, whirling around to stomp from the room. Rose threw her hands in the air in frustration but followed him, her hands balled into fists as her side. He stared straight ahead as they entered the lobby and walked out the door. The Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets, shivering as the cold wind whipped at his skin. The clearing seemed even foggier then when they'd first arrived, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them as he walked. He sighed as Rose stepped in front of him, crossing her arms.

"Why are we leaving? If there's something wrong, shouldn't we be helping them? Isn't that what we do? We help people? Or have you suddenly changed and decided that some people don't matter? That their lives aren't important?"

"No!"

"What?"

"I mean no, of course their lives are important. Of course they matter. And yes, we probably should help them, but Rose-" he cut himself off, narrowing his eyes. He didn't need to explain to her, did he? She could figure it out. Crossly, he walked past her and down to the pathway they'd first come through. Rose followed, her eyes trained on the ground as she tried to think. He knew she probably wouldn't drop the subject until she figured out why they'd left, but right now, he was just grateful for the silence.

And the silence continued until they reached the first pathway in the woods (and this time, the Doctor hadn't fallen once) and the Doctor crossly walked into the clearly, and stopped dead in his tracks, mouth falling open in shock. Rose bumped into his back and looked up at him, frowning.

"What?" She asked. His eyes scanned the clearing, desperately searching for the thing that should have been there.

"The TARDIS is gone!" He hissed, causing Rose to finally look up from the ground in surprise. But he didn't miss the relief that flashed through her gaze. They both looked up in surprise as something in the woods snapped, and the Doctor had the feeling somebody was watching them again. Instantly, he darted into the forest, and somebody took off running.

Rose blinked in shock, thinking about taking off after him, but something kept her there. Eventually, she started pacing, her eyes constantly checking for the Doctor. Maybe she should go after him. He was the Doctor, after all. There was no saying what would happen to him. He could get hurt. He could break a leg and not be able to get up. Or maybe she was just worrying. The Doctor could take care of himself, even if he did get in a lot of trouble while doing it.

After a few more minutes with him gone, she started towards the woods, but was met with a confused looking Doctor, completely dripping wet. His suit and coat had a few splatters of mud on it, and he looked slightly nervous. Rose frowned and took another step forward.

"Are you okay?" She asked. He opened his mouth for a minute before closing it and nodding. "What happened? Who was there? Did you find the TARDIS?" Rose paused for a minute before smiling. "Did you fall into the lake again?"

"Err, yes," he croaked, ruffling his hair and sending droplets of water flying off him.

"Yes to what?"

"The lake. I fell in the lake. No, no TARDIS. Didn't catch 'em."

"Oh," Rose said, faking a frown, though she wasn't going to admit that she was happy they were going to stay. He nodded and crossed the distance before taking her hand in his. She tore it away instantly, wide eyed.

"What?"

"Your hands are warm! Like, oven warm!"

"Are they? Oh. Sorry," he shrugged like it was nothing. Rose gave him an odd look. The Doctor was never warm. He was naturally cool. He shouldn't be warm, but he seemed unconcerned by it. She opened her mouth to ask, but stopped as she sniffed the air.

"Oh! Do you smell that?"

"…Smoke?" He grinned, glancing back towards the direction of the hotel and then back at Rose. "The hotel?" He asked curiously. Rose shrugged, but neither of them had to exchanged words as they both took off running. But Rose still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with the Doctor.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed. :3 Sorry for the slow updates, I've got a lot of stuff going on right now. Not bad stuff... just stuff. Been busy. Boring school stuff. Stuff I'm not gonna' bore you with. ^_^ Anyway, enjoy!****  
**

**Oh. And, sadly, I don't own Doctor Who. D:**

By the time they got back to the hotel, which had taken a while because they'd ended up getting lost in the fog, the fire had been put out. It had been the hotel that had been on fire, without a doubt. Half of the building had been burnt down in nearly a straight line. The wood was jagged and burnt. The fire had taken a lot of rooms along with it, including their own. People were now standing outside, yelling at each other in frustration from their loss of room and their hustle to make it outside.

Rose glanced at the Doctor, chewing on her bottom lip. He'd dried off, for the most part, but his skin had turned a light shade of pink. She hadn't touched him again, and he hadn't attempted to touch her, which was a bit unusual since he was especially fond of hugs and hand holding. She sighed and glanced at the ground. The Doctor glanced at her, but said nothing, just started to stroll towards the building. Rose didn't move. He started talking to one of the employee's. Shaking her head, she started towards him, but after several feet, stopped.

The world seemed quiet. She could see people talking and yelling at each other from across the clearing, but she couldn't hear them besides a faint echo. She glanced around nervously, her eyes settling on the lake. She hadn't realized it had been so close before. The fog had been too thick to see. She frowned and as slowly as she could without looking like an idiot, started to edge towards the lake, crouching down and reaching forward to touch the water.

"Rose?"

She turned around in surprise, glancing up and swallowing. The Doctor was towering over her. Normally, that wouldn't scare her one bit, but he had a different look to him. Not just his skin, but his eyes seemed darker. Angrier, almost. Had she done something wrong? Rose shivered and slowly rose to her feet, ignoring the hand he'd extended towards her. Dirt clung to her jeans, and her heartbeat was racing. "Yeah?" She managed to choke out, shifting from foot to foot with closed eyes.

"You really should stay away from the water," he muttered, his tone darkening and voice lowering to a whisper. Rose felt a shiver run through her body as she wrapped her arms around her waist and glanced behind her, watching the fog on the water. "We've got a new room on the fancier side of the hotel," he said, changing the subject before she could ask what was wrong with the water. She only nodded and followed him to the front of the hotel, purposely avoiding looking at the burnt down half. She'd always hated the results fire left. It was creepy and dark and made her think of murder, for some reason, though '_The Series of Unfortunate Events' _was probably the cause of that. She'd hated that movie. She glanced once more at the Doctor through her eyelashes to see he'd sped up his pace. She sighed and hurried after him.

XXX

To be honest, 'the fancier side of the hotel' was probably an understatement. The place looked as though millions of dollars had been spent on it. The bed was queen sized and the walls were painted gold with blue swirls along the top and bottom. A large, flat screen television sat in front of the bed on an old stand. The room had two large bathrooms and a kitchen attached to it. Rose felt uncomfortable in the room they'd been given. She'd always hated really fancy places. The Doctor was lying down on the bed looking uncomfortable, his face screwed up into a frown as if he were thinking about something. Rose didn't have the courage to ask what. There was definitely something wrong with him. It wasn't anything he'd said to her, but the way he looked at her. At the thought, his eyes flickered open, his gaze resting her. Rose nearly flinched. His eyes were cold and hateful. He looked as though he didn't care what happened to her. And that wasn't the Doctor. He was never like that, even when he got angry. There was something else in his gaze too, something she couldn't quite place, something she'd never really seen before. A sort of milky look... a watery look almost. Rose didn't have time to name it, however because there was a knock at the door and a flash of annoyance passed through the Doctor's gaze before he allowed them to come in. Rose stepped out of the way of the door, sitting down in what would be considered an old kings chair, on earth.

A man came through. An actual man. He looked human, anyway. He had shaggy, blonde hair that was side swept and a soft tan to his skin. His eyes were a sapphire blue that seemed to burn into you whenever he met your gaze. Rose shivered and glanced away. "Hello," he said, rocking back on his heels and he smiled at them both, "I'm Lucas, and I'll be your servant for tonight, anything you need."

Rose glanced at the Doctor, knowing exactly what he was going to say and nearly wanted to leave the room before he exploded and started raging about how servants were bad and should all be released.. How they were treated roughly and were used as lab rats half the time. Instead, the words that come out of his mouth nearly made Rose choke.

"So, like a slave them? My own, personal slave?" He looked delighted. That was what scared Rose. He shouldn't have that look on his face, as if he thought he could do anything he pleased to Lucas. And, Lucas himself looked a bit uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot.

"Er, I suppose you could put it that way," Lucas muttered, biting his lip. "But... servant is the word used around here... servant's the proper word."

"And what if I prefer slave?" The Doctor asked, sitting up on the bed with a bright, creepy grin. Rose could only stare at the red carpet, horrified. This wasn't the Doctor... not _her _Doctor, anyway. It couldn't be... right?

XXX

Lucas had left soon after, clearly too nervous to stay. Rose didn't blame him. The room had grown dark along with outside and her eyes had long since adjusted to it. She'd been lying awake for a while now. The Doctor had fallen asleep, one of his legs ending up tangled with her own. The room was hot, which made it nearly impossible to sleep. She'd always liked having a fan on when she slept, even in winter. But this room didn't have a fan. None of them did. Sighing, she glanced over at the Doctor, who was laying face up, arms folded behind his head. _Another odd thing, _Rose thought, tilting her head. The Doctor never slept. Not in front of her, anyway. Carefully, she rested a hand over where his right heart should be, and sure enough it was beating normally. She moved it to the left heart and had the same result. Her hand slipped to his skin, which had cooled off by now and seemed to be the normal temperature. Maybe even a bit below.

She glanced down at their tangled legs and carefully, praying she didn't wake him, shifted so she could untangle their legs. Once she'd done so, she quietly hopped off the bed, wincing as the floor creaked under her weight. "Like a little kid on Christmas," she whispered to herself, rolling her eyes. She tiptoed over towards the door and pushed it open, slipping out into the corridor. Besides the venting system, it was completely quiet, and it took her a few seconds to realize she'd been holding her breath.

She rested her hand against the wall and as she slunk to the opposite end of the hall, peeking around the corner. She stepped forward, biting her lip. A hissing noise echoed around her, the source sounding too close to her ear for her own comfort, and she froze, stopped, and whirled around, eyes wide. She didn't get to see who it was as they slammed her into the wall.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose didn't get enough time to say anything as she was flipped back around, her back pressed roughly against the cold wall, her breathing harsh from the sudden impact. She gazed into the familiar brown eyes, her heartbeat racing from panic. Anger swirled in the unnatural, milky white pupils. Swallowing, Rose met the Doctor's gaze coldly, refusing to let any fear show in her eyes. He snorted and let go of her wrists, and she fell to the floor, letting out a quiet squeak of surprise.

"Did you really think I was sleeping?" The Doctor snapped before Rose could think of anything to say. She only blinked in response. She realized she had two options:

She could run and let him realize she suspected something was wrong with him. Or,She could have him think she still believed he was fine.

If she were to run, he'd probably catch and possibly hurt her. The Doctor- the real Doctor- wouldn't want that. But she didn't know what this Doctor was planning, either. For all she knew, he was going to kill her anyway. She stared at his figure, towering over her coldly, frowning.

"I guess," she muttered, playing with her fingers. He snorted, shaking his head and backing up slowly as he raked a hand through his hair.

"Where exactly were you planning on going?"

Rose's breath caught in her throat, her mouth becoming dry as she fought to think up a quick lie. "I… I don't know," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "I was just going for a stroll. I couldn't sleep."

"You were sneaking around," he accused, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall behind him.

"I wasn't sure if I was allowed out," Rose said quickly, slowly and shakily rising to her feet. She met his gaze once more. She watched as he forced his gaze to soften and he sighed, nodding.

"Next time tell me. Make sure…" the Doctor trailed off, shaking his head as he swirled around on his heels and stormed off in the direction of their suite, glancing behind him. "Well come on," he muttered, waiting for her to follow. Rose nodded slowly and started after him, her eyes narrowing as she stared at his back and tried to swallow the worry rising in her throat.

XXX

Rose's eyes flickered open, a yawn fighting its way out of her mouth. She turned over onto her side, watching the Doctor's chest rise and fall. His eyelids fluttered in his sleep. It hadn't been easy to drift off last night, with the Doctor's gaze burning into her back like he suspected she was going to jump up suddenly and make a run for it. But, obviously, she had. The Doctor was lying with his hands as a pillow and his hair was going in every direction. Morning hair. She smiled a little and carefully sat up, keeping her eyes on him as she climbed from the bed and tip-toed lightly towards the bathroom, unwilling to wake him up.

After flicking on the light, Rose opened the cabinet to look at the mirror and froze, shocked. A large purple bruise had appeared on her cheek where she had been slammed into the wall the night before. She carefully pressed on the skin and winced at the pain.

"Rose?"

Rose jumped at the Doctor's voice, and she spun around, holding her breath. He called her name again and she stepped out of the bathroom, peaking around the corner. "I'm in here," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "I'm gonna' take a shower, 'kay?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow but nodded, collapsing back into the bed for a few moments. Rose sighed and closed the door, turning on the hot water before stripping her clothes and hopping in, lips pursed.

What was she meant to do? She couldn't run without that… creature knowing she suspected something was wrong. And, for all she knew, something was just possessing the Doctor's body, which meant she couldn't hurt it without hurting the Doctor. Rose sighed, leaning against the stall and shaking her head slowly. She honestly didn't know what to do anymore. She was scared, and she hated to admit it. But it was there. The fear was definitely there, becoming stronger each second she spent with the creature. She didn't want the Doctor to get hurt. He was her best friend. She didn't know what she would do without him. Was he alright? Was he still _alive_?

Rose shook her head roughly. Of course he was still alive. He was the Doctor. He got into trouble sometimes, but he was clever. He could find his way out of anything. Snatching the soap, Rose began to scrub her skin roughly, as if she could wash away her worry and fear.

XXX

When Rose got out of the shower, the Doctor was sitting in the kitchen scooping bits of cereals into his mouth. He looked up as she entered the room, her eyes directed at the floor as she crossed the room. She'd covered up the bruise with foundation that had been stored away in the back of a cupboard.

"You alright?" He asked through a mouthful of cheerios. Rose nodded, pouring her own bowl and plopping down in the seat across from him, busying herself with eating. She could feel his eyes burning into her skin like fire, and she tried desperately not to tense up, though she feared it wasn't working.

"Just tired," she croaked, unable to think of anything else to say. Her eyes glanced up for a swift moment, just long enough to look into his eyes. The anger she'd seen there the night before was now replaced with simple curiosity, and his pupils had become the normal black that they should be. Rose look back down quickly.

"Well... Suppose' one would expect considering you were up in the middle of the night for a 'stroll'."

"I'm used to sleeping with a fan. It was too quiet so I just thought I'd walk around to tire myself out," she said, and stuffed another spoonful in her mouth to make her point that she wanted him to drop the subject. He sniffed crossly, but said nothing else on the matter. Out of the corner of her eye, she could still see him staring at her expectantly, as if he were daring her to say something- anything. She didn't. If he wanted to talk, let him be the one to bring it up. She didn't trust him enough to say anything.

She finally stood up as she finished her cereal and spun around, placing it the sink before hurrying towards the door. The Doctor followed, snatching the long overcoat on the way out.

"Where are we going?" He asked as she locked the door behind them, keeping her eyes trained ahead of her.

"Outside," she muttered, hurrying down the hall as quickly as she could in a walking speed. He looked curious as to why, but didn't say anything until they were outside in the thick, and thickening, fog.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked, grabbing her wrist and holding on tightly. Rose winced and turned to face him, forcing a smile and shaking her head.

"No, I just thought we'd better find the TARDIS, whether we're leaving or not."

"It can wait till we're done here," he argued, letting her go. Rose started walking again, eyes scanning the clearing through the fog. It seemed that nearly half the hotel had come outside. There was a large enough crowd for Rose to get lost in. Taking her chances, she darted out into the people, weaving throughout the figures, dodging them until she reached the lake. She could hear the Doctor screeching her name, cold and angry. It sent shivers down her back. She stumbled to a halt in front of the lake and was immediately down on her knees, staring at her reflection in the water.

Like before, everything around her grew quite until it was just voices in the back of her head. Over that, however, was hissing noises, cries for help. She couldn't separate them from each other, couldn't hear what they were saying. She cautiously reached out, dipping her fingers and wincing. The Doctor had been right. It was cold. Her jaw clenched and she scooted forward, dipping her whole hand into the lake so everything from the wrist and down was underwater. It was wet (obviously) and gooey, and overall rather disgusting. She screwed her face up and leaned forward, feeling around. Why hadn't the Doctor, or whoever and whatever it was, wanted her to touch it?

Before she could think of an answer, something tightened around her wrist and yanked. She front flipped into the water, too close to the edge to pull back. Her head smacked against a rock, pain lashing at her sharply. She kicked back, frustrated, her head aching, chest aching already from the lack of air. She struggled against the grip, trying to see through the dark water. She could hear the Doctor yelling in frustration above her, and she closed her eyes shut and hesitantly stopped struggling, letting the creature drag her down.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you, everyone for the reviews. :3 **

Rose's eyes flickered open, her heart pounding wildly. She took a deep breath, trying to sort out the different scents in the room she was in. There was a sweet, earthy smell, like when you step outside and it's just been raining, and a strong, metallic scent in the air. She tried to sit up, only to find herself held back by restraints, which strapped her wrists and ankles to some kind of metal stretcher.

"Hello?" She called nervously, eyes darting around the room to the bits she could see. It looked sort of like a dirt cave, roots hanging down from the ceiling. In several places, water dripped down from the ceiling, bringing down globs of mud. The floor was dirty stone, weeds lining around the edges where the walls met the floor. The room was shaped like a giant dome. No lights were in the room, but moonlight flooded into it form an open window. Shifting, she strained against the restraints, attempting to snap them. They were some sort of rubber, and _ow,_ they were hurting her wrists!

Sighing, she collapsed back on the stretcher, giving up with trying to break them, and instead surveyed the area around her, hoping to see something to detach the straps.

"Struggling's just going to make it worse."

Rose's head snapped up again in surprise, staring at the person she hadn't noticed before. He'd spoken with such a calm voice, an almost regretful one. Her stomach flipped, her eyes narrowing angrily and she started to pull against the straps once again, throwing a few curse words at the all-to familiar man that sat on the table. The Doctor- or whatever it was- snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, glancing away from her.

His hair clung to his forward, wet, but his clothing seemed dry, like it had been replaced. It occurred to her that perhaps to access this place, you had to swim through the lake. Rose's chest was still aching as if she'd been suffering badly from lack of air. Her head spun and she had to lie down again to stop it.

"Where is he?" She asked, though she didn't really expect any sort of answer from him. However, he turned to look at her again, raising an eyebrow and leaning back, using his elbows as props.

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid with me," she snapped, watching in satisfaction as he jumped slightly from her harsh tone, "you know exactly who I'm talking about! Where's the Doctor?"

"I am the Doctor."

Rose glared at him, seething with annoyance. He just chuckled and scooted back against the wall, saying nothing more.

"If you've hurt him, I swear-"

"Don't be stupid," he snarled, his eyes narrowing as he studied the way she jumped and tried to withdraw, without any luck, "we can't hurt him. Any damage done to him would affect me, physically and mentally, and we can't have that now, can we?"

Rose didn't have an answer for that. She couldn't have been more glad though. The Doctor was alive, and unharmed, and right now, that was all that mattered to her. That implies, of course, that he was telling the truth.

She sighed and lay down again, chewing nervously on her lower lip. "Where is he then?" She muttered, staring at the ceiling. The Doctor snorted, shaking his head.

"Can't tell you that. Do you think I'm stupid? Did you really think I'd answer that?"

"No," she said, a bit too quickly and he chuckled lightly again, clearly delighted at her fear. A soft sigh escaped through her lips and she tried to distract herself from the way he was looking at her. It wasn't really a hating look, which may be why it was freaking her out a little. She was used to him- it, whatever- looking at her with this disgusted, annoyed look. But this time, it was a look full of curiosity. Nothing else. He just watched her, his head titled, frowning as if there were some mystery about her.

"What are you planning to do to me then?"

"Not me."

"Hm?"

"The Professor's gonna' be in soon."

"Alright," Rose said, a bit uncertainly, "what's the 'Professor' gonna' do to me?"

"Simple shots," he muttered, shifting his gaze to stare at his lap. He seemed oddly uncomfortable for some reason. "Stuff like that, I guess."

As soon as he was done talking, there was a loud clang of a door, and a young man strode in, blonde hair swept to the side, ruffled. His skin was a bit too pink to be human. His mischievous eyes were a deep, sea blue. He smiled at her. Not a smile that said 'hey, I'm about to stab you with a 12 foot long knife', but a genuinely kind (handsome) smile.

"'Ello, Professor Carlisle- Rose Tyler, correct?"

Rose said nothing, just fixed him with a cold gaze. He shrugged, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves and pulling over a cart. Rose's eyes widened and she squeaked, a shiver running down her back as she saw the several syringes laid out across the top of the cart. Each contained oddly coloured liquids that bubbled. She drew back as he picked one up, raising an eyebrow at her reaction.

"It won't hurt," he promised, blinking at her. Rose squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. She'd always hated getting shots. The Doctor had only just managed to get her to take shots that would prevent her from deadly diseases from other planets. But _this_? No way- she wouldn't have it.

She let out a yelp as he tried to steady her arm, which was painfully hard to actually move in the first place. "No way," she spat, struggling against his grip. Anger flashed through his gaze and he reached down under the cart, unlatching the strap from the middle. He sprang back up, his hand coming down hard on her wrist. Rose squeaked in surprise, and tore her arm away, hitting him squarely in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, surprised, only jump managing to avoid the cart. He straightened up again, furious.

"_Stop!_"

They both glanced sideways in surprise. The Doctor had stood up, looking utterly annoyed. He stormed over to the stretcher Rose was still strapped to and unhooked the strap around her other wrist, snatching the syringe away from the Professor, who stood completely still, shocked.

Rose sat up slowly, blinking as he took her arm and injected the liquid into a vein in her wrist. "Ow!" She hissed, jerking back. The Professor smirked.

"Oops, I lied."

Rose glared at him, turning back to the Doctor with wide eyes. "What are these, anyway," she whispered as he pushed a second one- a less painful one- into her arm.

He only glared at her, giving her the last shot before unhooking the last two straps around her ankles and gripping her wrist. Pain shot up her arm and she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut as he yanked her off the stretcher and stormed over to the door, his grip tightening. There was definitely going to be a bruise there. She whimpered as he twisted her arm, leading her into a dark hallway. She stumbled and fell once. He tugged her back to her feet.

"Where 're we going?" She hissed, turning the corner. He cast her a dark look that sent a shiver down her back.

They finally stopped, his knuckles beating out a rhythm on the door in front of them. His eyes were dark and angry, which Rose had grown used to, by now. All the curiosity had been drained from his gaze. A muffled voice sounded from the other side of the door and he shoved it open, all the while refusing to loosen his grip in case she tried to sprint. Inside it was completely dark. Rose didn't have time to adjust to the darkness before she was pushed inside. She twisted as she fell, her head smacking against the cold ground, pain instantly lashing down her spine as the Doctor slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside.

**A/N: I tried to make it less creepy, for one chapter... Not sure if it worked. Maybe it did. *shrug* Annnyway, hope you enjoyed! :3**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: *add disclaimer here***

Rose's head was aching, her breath shallow. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, not daring to look up, mostly from fear. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she slowly rose to her feet, her eyes darting around the room. She took a cautious step forward, reaching out a hand to feel around. A soft chuckled emitted from the right and she leapt to the right, her breath hissing between her teeth.

"Whose there?" She whispered, blinking, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the pitch black. Another chuckle and there was the sound of bare feet scraping against the flooring. She backed up until her back was against the wall, crouching down with narrowed eyes. She felt around, her hand hitting some sort of wooden handle, and she grabbed the object, not bothering to find out what it was. She lifted it up as the footsteps came closer, gripping it with both hands as she found it heavier then she'd thought. Taking a deep breath, she swung the object out in front of her, and a surprised and pained gasp followed quickly. Rose jumped to her feet, dashing across the room and feeling the wall desperately for a light switch.

There was a cough and a light flickered on. She froze, shaking, before spinning around on her heels, eyes wide. Rose blinked in surprise. A _very _geeky and _very _cute man had fallen into a desk swivel chair. He stared at her in surprise, a hand placed over his stomach where she'd hit him with… she glanced down, pursing her lips. She was holding something that looked similar to a baseball bat.

Rose looked back up at the man to study him. He wore a simple pair of jeans and a dark gray t-shirt with a white lab coat. His brown hair stuck up in all directions, very similar to the Doctor's morning hair. His brown eyes were wide with shock. A black, square framed pair of glasses sat perched on his nose. "_Ow_," he hissed, his voice thick with what sounded like an American accent, although, they were on an alien planet… whatever.

She glanced around the room, raising an eyebrow and brushing her hair over her shoulder. The room wasn't much different from the one she'd woken up in. Dirt walls and ceiling, though this one was a square shaped instead of dome shaped. The simple desk lamp didn't light up much of the room, but Rose could see a door that lead elsewhere.

The man slowly sat up, straightening and collapsing into the chair, his face screwed up in pain.

"Err, sorry," Rose muttered, tilting her head. He took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"The idiot _had _to put you to here, didn't he?" He snarled, studying her with a curious look planted across his face. Rose smiled brightly and nodded.

"Yup!" She raised the bat protectively. "And I want out. I want to see my friend, and you better listen-"

"Your friend? As in 'the Doctor'?"

"No, as in _It_ the clown! Yes, the Doctor!"

The man chuckled lightly, standing up and holding his hand out for the bat. "Not a chance," Rose chuckled angrily, glaring at him as he edged around her carefully towards the other door she'd seen earlier. He opened the door, motioning out.

"Then I'll take you to him."

She blinked and carefully lowered the bat, frowning. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, sure. If you want to see him, I'm not gonna' stop ya'." He cocked his head, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "Then again, you may not want to see him as much as you think you do."

"Whatdya' mean?"

"Well, he's not in the best condition."

"But… the Doctor- or the clone, whatever he is! He said… he said something like ya' can't hurt the Doctor without hurting him."

The man- whose name-tag read Alec- smiled, shaking his head in amusement. "Mmm. That's not all entirely true. It's true we can't physically hurt him, with whips and such, but…" he trialed off, flashing her a smile. He clearly wasn't going to continue.

Rose felt sick. So the Doctor _wasn't _all right? Or was Alec just trying to rile her up? Or scare her out of seeing him? She glanced at the floor, her lower lip quivering. Suddenly, Alec didn't seem very cute anymore.

"I still want to see him." Rose croaked, determined. She didn't think anything could keep her from the Doctor. She looked back up to see that Alec's smile had reduced to an annoyed scowl. She stood taller, leveling her eyes with her. "I want to see the Doctor."

"You'll have to leave the bat here,"

"No way,"

"Then you can't see him."

Rose sniffed crossly, dropping the bat with narrowed eyes. He motioned for the door. Rose folded her arms and quickly walked into the room, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she forced herself to walk forward, farther into the dark. Alec closed the door behind them, causing Rose to jump and spin around on her heels, eyes wide.

"Don't worry," he muttered crossly, pushing her lightly to keep her walking. It descended into a silence, besides their quiet breathing. Rose kept her eyes trained on the ground, considering she couldn't see what was in front of her face anyway. Finally, he lightly took hold of her wrist to stop her from walking forward. She glanced up at him, just able to see the outline of his body as he took keys from his pocket and shoved it into the keyhole, unlocking the door.

They went down several hallways in dead silence, exchanging unfriendly glances before they pulled to a stop. He took the keys out, moving to unlock the door, but turned to Rose, an eyebrow raised. "You sure?"

Rose's breath caught in her throat, her stomach flipping. For all she knew, he was tricking her. Maybe he was going to push her inside and leave her to die all alone, which didn't seem like that much of a huge leap from what they were doing now to the Doctor. But, if the Doctor really was in here, she couldn't just leave him... but would Alec even let her talk to him? She winced and forced herself to nod. Alec snorted and unlocked the door, dragging her inside. She held her breath, keeping her eyes trained on him as he flicked on the light, and froze.

She spun around on her heels, positioning herself in a defensive stance, scanning the room. "What? What is it, what's wrong?"

"He's meant to be in here," Alec spat, eyes wide with panic. He cursed under his breath. Rose blinked in surprise. The room was cold, damp, and completely, 100% stone. She watched Alec as he started darting around the room, his breathing harsh, continuously cursing under his breath. Something along the lines of, _they're going to kill me_.

Rose spun around and fled the room, hearing Alec call out in frustration. The thin hall suddenly seemed darker then she'd thought as she stumbled along it, using her hands as guides. She came to a halt, her foot hitting something warm, and she flipped over, tumbling until she was on her back. A confused, surprised gasp and an angry hiss followed her fall, and something- _a hand?-_ came crashing down on her stomach. She hissed as pain shot through her body and somebody cursed in surprise. A leg tangled with her own, and she used her free leg to kick out, coming in contact with their cheek. Rose was finally able to scramble to her feet, just as the lights flickered on. Her breath caught in her throat and she groaned. Not only was Alec back, but she was _not _prepared to see both the Doctor, and... well, the Doctor, staring at her. The problem was, Rose didn't know which was which.

Both looked exactly the same, spare the way their hair was ruffled from their previous tumble. One had a hand over his cheek where Rose had kicked him.

"_Rose!_" One of them hissed. Rose didn't have time to reply. Alec strode in, looking amused. He cocked his head, studying the two Doctor's with amusement.

"Ooh, poor Rose Tyler," he turned to her, grinning. Nope. He definitely didn't look cute anymore. "Two Doctors- which one will she chose?"

Rose frowned, her heart skipping a beat. "Wha?" She muttered, shifting her gaze between the two men that were staring at her with hopeful gazes. So, she had to choose? Between the two Doctor's in front of her, she had to choose which one was... _her's?_ "What happens to the other? The one I don't... choose." She finally asked, her breath shaking. Both of them looked utterly terrified, which didn't help. What if she chose the wrong one?

Alec smiled brightly. "Incineration," he chirped gleefully.

**A/N: Yeahhh, I did... two Doctors- whether they're both real or not- are fun to write about. :p Anyway... I'm honestly not sure about this chapter... But whatever, you guys can decide, I guess. :3 Hope you did enjoy, though.**


	8. Chapter 8

"_What?_" Rose exploded, taking a sharp, panicked breath, her hands flying to her hair. Alec smiled, cocking his head and folding his arms across his chest. Both of the Doctors looked horrified, their eyes wide and breathing heavy. Rose wished she could run away from this. She didn't want to have to make a choice. If she chose wrong, Rose would never forgive herself.

_Incineration._ If she chose wrong, Alec was going to incinerate the man she didn't choose. She didn't think she could do that. Not while knowing _that _was going to happen to the other. Even if it wasn't the Doctor that was getting incinerated. She shook her head slowly, trying to force herself to breath slowly. "You- no, you can't do that."

Alec frowned, pursing his lips. "I can actually. I can, and I will." He strolled towards the two Doctor's, who both instantly backed away. One of them looked ready to hit him. The other just kept glancing at Rose, with that curious look in his gaze, like the... lake Doctor had been doing earlier. That made it even more difficult. The Doctor hated violence, which means he wouldn't be sending that death look to Alec. But why would he be giving her a curious look? Rose groaned, wanting to burying her face in her hands. This was way more confusing then she'd thought it would be. Rose made a quick mental note that the Doctor on the left, the one with his hair pushed back out of his forehead, would be called Theta in her head. She'd heard the Doctor rambling to himself one day, and he'd mentioned that name. The other, the one on the right, would be the Doctor.

"So, who'll it be? Doctor 1," Alec pointed to Theta after pushing his way between the two, "or Doctor 2?"

They both looked at her with hope glittering in their eyes. "Rose," the Doctor took a step forward, shifting his gaze to look at Alec, then to Theta, then back to Rose. "It's me, I promise, it is."

Theta snorted, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes were burning into Rose, hopeful and scared. She saw stars dancing in his eyes like she usually did- but she saw the same thing in the Doctor's eyes, too. There wasn't any way to tell the difference between the two. Not that Rose was seeing, anyway.

"Really," the Doctor said, taking another step forward. Rose shook her head, pursing her lips. Her eyes darted to Alec, who smirked. Theta was watching her with an odd look in his eyes, but he made no attempt to move forward.

"Tick tock goes the clock," Alec sang, his eyes glittering with annoyance. They all glared him. "Or I'll incinerate you all," he added coldly.

Rose's mouth was dry as she choked out the words she knew she would probably regret, "him." She pointed at Theta, unable to say anything or do anything else, her stomach flipping at she tried to fight back her tears. She only just remembered to breathe as the Doctor was yanked back, looking startled, and Theta was thrown forward, nearly tripping and smacking face first into the wall. Rose's breath caught in her throat as his hand tightened around hers and they were both sprinting down the hallway, Rose staring blankly ahead, her cheeks wet. Neither of them said anything, as they didn't really know what to say. They stopped running only when he seemed sure they were safe.

Rose didn't give him time to ask the question that was probably burning in his mind. "Your wrists," she said simply, shaking as she slid down the wall and buried her face in her hands, swallowing hard. She didn't think she'd ever done anything more difficult in her life. The Doctor sighed and sat down next to her, an arm curling around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

It had been true, though. Even in Rose's blind panic, she'd managed to notice the red marks around the Doctor's wrists. They were light, but if someone were to be searching for one difference between two look alikes, one would notice the smallest thing. Rose knew how much it hurt to be strapped down to the table, and her own wrists proved that it could leave marks. That was the only difference between the Doctor and the ganger- that the Doctor had been strapped down. She sighed and buried her face in his shoulder, her soft sobs echoing down the hallway. She was sore and tired, and really wanted to leave this place and never come back. However, there was no way she was going to let the ganger die, no matter what he had done to her.

But they could wait a little while longer before going to fetch him, couldn't they? Besides, Rose had questions. "What exactly happened?" She looked up to him, her eyes meeting his affectionate ones. "When you ran out into the woods, I mean."

"Uh- I don't _think _I remember. It's all a bit of a blur, really."

"All right, fair enough. What is he then? The doppelganger?"

"Water. _Well_, 98%, anyway. Came from the lake. He was probably flushed and warm, when you first saw him? That's the result of the energy that's needed to create an exact replica of myself. That first time the water touched my skin, when I was skipping rocks- that was all it needed to feed off my thoughts and memories. It needed more to copy my looks though,"

"Which is exactly what it got, yeah? When you jumped in the pool,"

"Exactly."

"So.. why didn't it copy me then?"

"You're human. You don't have the right minerals in you- would've starved instantly if it had tried."

Rose nodded, a finger winding around a strand of hair. Her cheeks were dry now, but she still felt the terrible weight of guilt resting in her stomach and clawing at her throat. He glanced down at her and must have seen something in her eyes because a low sigh escaped from his lips, "You want to save him, don't you?"

"Yes," she admitted, looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "We can, can't we?"

He nodded slowly, biting his lip. "Yes, but what do you suppose we do with him? We can't leave him here, they'll just try and get him again, and we can't exactly drop him off on some random planet, can we? And I wouldn't exactly be excited to have him in the TARDIS... which is still missing, by the way."

Rose thought about this for a second. While she hated to admit it, the Doctor was right. But she could tell he didn't want to leave the ganger here to burn alive, either. He wasn't one to abandon people in need. Rose understood why he'd wanted to leave in the beginning now. No body was going to get hurt... if they had left. Now, for all she knew, everyone in that hotel could get injured or die.

"No," she finally admitted, looking back up at him. "But what's wrong with leaving him on Earth? Not many people know who you are there, 'cept for mum and Mickey and a few others, so it's not like people would be looking up to him to save them."

The Doctor nodded, accepting this reluctantly, and raised an eyebrow, slowly climbing to his feet and offering her a hand. She took it, trying her best not to wince as he hauled her to her feet. She feared she'd failed, however, judging by the way he gave her a confused look. He knew better then to ask what was wrong when she was in this state. She sighed, leaning against him for support for a few seconds.

He spoke slowly, letting her recover. "Come on," he said, carefully taking a step back to make sure she didn't suddenly fall. She nodded, letting him take her hand to lead them both down to where they'd been nearly 5 minutes ago. It felt longer the way back, even as they kept the same pace as before, but they finally made it to where the ganger and Alec had been. The Doctor looked around as Rose tried to steady her breathing.

"How're we meant to find where they went?" Rose asked uncertainly, watching in disgust as he leaned forward and licked the wall. Oh, that was _so _him. She laughed a little and he smiled, standing up straighter.

"Right, one corridor down, second door on the left."

"You got all that from licking the wall?"

"No, I saw Alec dragging him there when we were running away."

"Idiot," Rose scowled, smiling when he chuckled and reached for her hand, wiggling his fingers and rocking back on his heels. She grinned and took his hand, cocking her head.

"Allons-y!"

XXX

The door stood at about 7 feet, much taller then Rose. It was almost intimidating, which was kind of sad, considering it was a door. A small, metal window sat in the middle. Rose didn't have the guts to stand on her tip toes to look through. Her heart had started beating much faster then before, and her hand tightened around the Doctors. He rested his free hand on the door handle, casting her a uncertain glance. Rose hated it when he did that. She usually started doubting herself, which was exactly what he was going for. In fact, several times he'd actually gotten her to withdraw from her decisions, but this was one thing she wasn't going to chicken out of.

She could actually feel the heart radiating from the door and knew it was probably boiling hot inside. Which was normal, considering it was an incineration room.

"You sure? You can always stay out here."

Rose nearly accepted the Doctor's offer. Almost. She shook her head firmly, frowning. "Yeah," she said, and he pushed the door open slowly, quietly. A rush of heat made her jump. The Doctor winced, which was expected, considering he had a lower body temperature. They both slipped inside and tip-toed across a metal flooring. It wasn't at all how she'd expected. She'd expected some circular room with just a large pit of lava in the middle. Or was that more in the movies? Either way, the room seemed much calmer then she'd imagined.

A large, metal structure sat in the middle, starting from the floor and rising all the way to the ceiling. It seemed like a giant oven. Which just made Rose feel more guilty. So, the ganger was about to be burned alive in an oven. Brilliant. Anyway, a small, thin wall stretched out from the left side of the room, which was what the Doctor and Rose were hiding behind.

"Come on!"

Rose's eyes swiveled to a door at the far end of the room. She took a sharp breath, stiffening as she tried not to dart out and smack them all in the face. Alec was escorting the ganger into the room. The ganger was handcuffed. He was also cursing at Alec furiously.

"This is ridiculous!" The ganger spat, glaring at the two guards who were escorting him to the "oven". "You're _actually_ going to incinerate me?"

Alec shrugged. "I may not be on the Doctor's side, but I'm still a man of my word."

Rose's heart was racing. She was a little embarrassed to admit she was terrified for the man- the fake man, at that- who had given her bruises on her cheek and strapped her on a table, giving her shots. But the fear was very clear in the gangers eyes, even from this far away. And that made the guilt stronger. She winced as the guards shoved him forward and he stumbled, cursing at them loudly. Finally, Rose was too scared. Not for her. For the Doctor's ganger.

"Stop!" She shrieked, stumbling away from the wall. The Doctor gasped, reaching out for her. She glared at the guards, swallowing hard. They all stared for a few seconds, before in only a few swift movements, she had four guns pointed at her head.

**A/N: I went over this so many times, it's ridiculous. Whatever, I'll leave you with this. :3 /shrugs and frolics about on tumblr/  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm not sure how well this chapter worked out; it got rushed because I felt horrible... it's been a while, hasn't it? So there's a chance it might not be a good chapter... Anyway, you can try and enjoy, hopefully. :3**

The ganger looked delighted. The Doctor looked horrified. And, with huge, threatening guns pointed at her head, Rose wasn't exactly in the best mood, either. She stood frozen to the spot, a thick lump forming in her throat. She'd panicked and ran out with thinking, and now she was going to be shot in the head. Fantastic. She swallowed, her hands toying with a string that had become loose on her shirt. Her heart was beating quickly and felt as though it were in her throat. Alec, who had been staring at her with a shocked expression on his face, made a quick jerky movement with his neck and took his own gun out of his pocket, which was instantly pointed towards Rose. A soft whimper that was – hopefully – barely audible escaped her throat and she took a step back, the Doctor's hand tightening around hers.

The oven/incinerator made a soft creaking noise as it heated up, clinking noises echoing around the nearly silent room with every shuffle of somebody's feet. Rose was terrified. Sure, she'd had guns pointed at her before, been staring at the face of danger before. But in those moments, there had always seemed to be a way out of the situation. This time the only option was the door, and even then they'd be shot before they could make it halfway across the room.

"We were going to let you leave," Alec hissed through his teeth. The ganger was watching the scene like it was a movie, frowning as he studied their every movement. Alec glanced swiftly at the guards, who flicked the safety off their guns. The Doctor pushed her behind him, his eyes just daring them to shoot. Rose had seen him live up to the name '_The Oncoming Storm_'. This was one of those times. She swallowed again, glancing from the Doctor to Alec.

"Let him go and we'll leave," the Doctor said slowly, choosing his words carefully. Alec snorted. The guards raised their guns higher, waiting for the command; a command that would kill both Rose and the Doctor. Her breath shook and she glanced at the ganger, nearly jumping in shock. He was staring at her, his expression blank. That worried her, for some reason, and she glanced away, focusing on Alec. She winced, fear rising in her throat.

Alec folded his arms behind his back, shoving his gun in his back pocket, and he sighed, "I'm not your biggest enemy, you realize?" Rose snorted, earning a glare from Alec. He continued with what sounded like a bit more purpose in his voice, "It's my boss you should be worried about."

The ganger's breath hissed between his teeth, Alec's word stirring something up inside him.

The Doctor frowned. "Whose your boss then?"

"Oh," Alec smiled, "the stuff of legends."

The room grew silent and both the Doctor and Rose instantly looked at the ganger. A defensive look passed through his gaze. "_Oi_, it's not me!"

Rose finally spoke up, though her voice was quiet, "Who is it then? Do you know?"

The ganger diverted his gaze to the floor. He didn't respond. Of course, it didn't seem possible that it was the ganger. The ganger hadn't been around long enough to organize all this, let alone have something against them. Well, besides the fact that Rose had nearly gotten him incinerated. And for all she knew, he still might be incinerated, along with her and the Doctor. The thought made her shiver despite the blazing heat. Oh. Blimey, it had definitely gotten hot. Her skin was sticky with sweat, as was the Doctor's.

Suddenly, a high-pitched screech ripped through the air, and everyone dropped to their knees, hands covering their ears, teeth gritted. The guns clattered to the ground, and the ganger stumbled to his feet, snatching one up and tossing it into the incinerator. Alec made a sound that resembled a growl in the back of his throat. The room seemed to be getting hotter, and the screeching seemed to be getting higher in pitch. A popping noise came from the incinerator as the guns reached the bottom, then a rumbling, as if it was rejecting the metal and bullets. Oh, again. Bullets. Loud shots echoed through the air as the bullets were fired from the heat. Rose watched, horrified, as one of the bullets was thrown from the incinerator, hitting one of the guards in the chest. He fell and crumbled to the ground and she winced. The Doctor's hand tightened around hers.

Then, everything happened at one. A loud, horrible, ear-piercing sound ripped through the air and the whole place began shaking. The ganger dived to the floor and somehow managed to pick up the keys that belong to his hand cuffs and free himself. His hands flashed to his pockets and a silver dagger was taken out. The Doctor screeched for him to stop over the roaring. The ganger shot him a look of defiance and flipped around, digging it into the seconds guards back. Blood squirted from his mouth and he crumbled to the ground in a puddle of both his blood and the guard who'd been shot. Alec reached into his back pocket for the gun, his eyes widening in horror as he realized it was gone. The ganger's arm flashed out, only cutting into Alec's sleeve. The Doctor stumbled forward as if he thought he could cross the room in time to stop the ganger. Rose felt sick, standing rooted to the ground. Her eyes stared at the pooling blood, her body shaking, and breathing uneven. She'd always hated blood and seeing this much horrified her, her stomach flipping in response.

The ganger's arm flashed out again, missing entirely this time. The Doctor had stopped halfway across the room, staring at the incinerator with concern. Rose didn't want to watch. She almost wished she hadn't asked to come back and save the ganger. It would've been better that way, it seemed. Alec dodged the blows carefully, planning his movements with great care, but Rose could see him starting to stumble, the heat starting to affect him. The ganger leaped forward, an irritated expression on his face. He bent his arm and pushed him over. Rose stumbled backwards and squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch anything that happened next.

Angry yells and cries filled the room, the roaring turning into a sound that sounded like it was straining to support something. A hand tightened around her wrist, but she didn't bother to open her eyes and see who it was. The fear clawed at her throat, her stomach twisting as the stench of blood filled the air. The constant yelling and screeching and groaning was making Rose's ears ring. She clamped her free hand over her ear as she forced herself to run along with whoever was dragging her across the room, towards the door.

A firm hand pressed against her back, shoving her through the open door, and she tumbled to the floor, her head hitting the wall lightly. The ganger spun around, slamming the door shut. Blood trailed down his arms, dripping from the dagger. Rose wasn't sure if it was his or Alec's, and honestly, she could care less. She was just angry right now. He'd killed Alec, and the guards, without a second thought. He looked a little guilty that he'd done so, but other then that, his expression was blank. The Doctor looked angry, glaring at the ganger with cold eyes. It must be weird for him, Rose thought. To look across the room and see… _you_. Like looking into a mirror. But the ganger was in no way a copy of the Doctor; Rose realized that now. He was violent and vicious and beyond a few traces of guilt, he seemed emotionless. It was disgusting.

The room was silent, except for their labored breathing. The Doctor was shaking, looking like he was trying not to lash out at the ganger. The groaning had either stopped, or could not be heard from this room, and the shaking had reduced quite a lot.

"Who's your boss?" The Doctor was the first to speak. He looked like he'd calmed down considerably, but Rose could see through that; he was still seething with anger directed to the ganger. The ganger seemed not to notice as he stuffed the dagger into a leather satchel fitted for it; one Rose hadn't seen before. It must have been given to him when he'd first arrived here.

"I've never really met him; just heard stories." The ganger raked the hand that wasn't coated with blood through his hair.

"But…" Rose trailed off. They turned to look at her. "When Alec mentioned your boss… you seemed...," she searched for the right word. "Alarmed… a bit irritated that Alec had brought him up in the conversation?" Rose was trying to keep her voice steady and strong; she had a feeling she was failing.

The ganger shrugged, "I was surprised."

"No," the Doctor frowned, cocking his head, "but she's right. Why is that? What were you thinking?"

The ganger flashed them both a stubborn look. The Doctor sighed. "Look, we can help you, well, we can try anyway, but we're not leaving without reassurance that your boss isn't going to create more _copies_, more fake people. I have to know he's not going to go and kill the innocent people above!"

Rose held her breath, staring at the ganger with large, hopeful eyes. He glanced at her, locking their gazes. He was upset, that much was obvious. He didn't want to talk about the subject, but he obviously knew more then he was saying. "Look," the ganger sighed, "I'm not lying when I say I haven't met our boss; but our boss has met me."

"What? How does that work?" The Doctor growled. Rose slowly rose to her feet, her ankles aching. Some sort of cooling system had started up, and the area suddenly seemed much colder.

"I don't know," the ganger admitted, shaking his head. "I asked to meet the boss, and they said that I didn't need to. They said the boss already met me."

"Could they have meant the Doctor?" Rose asked, shuffling across the floor to lean against the Doctor. He smiled sympathetically at her.

"No, they meant me. I know they meant me."

The Doctor sighed, gripping Rose's hand. "Well, I think it's time we met him, don't you?" He smiled, arching an eyebrow. "Take us to your leader."

XXX

The place was getting creepy again. The light above flickered, their shadows seeming out of place. Rose's heart was beating quickly, and she nearly expected somebody to pop from the darkness and slaughter them. The floor creaked underneath them each time they took a step forward. There must be a basement. The Doctor was glancing around the area suspiciously, his eyes narrowed. The ganger seemed care-free, whistling '_Never Too Late_' by _Three Days Grace_. Rose's breath shook, her face blank. She jumped in shock as the lights went out completely, leaving them in the pitch black darkness. She whimpered, the Doctor's hand curling around her own. On a normal basis, she wouldn't have been scared, but this place was _creepy_. Her fingers trailed along the stone wall as she walked through the dark, desperately trying to even out her ragged breath.

They turned the corner and the ganger stopped at the door, casting them uncertain glances. The Doctor fixed him with a hard glare, and the ganger shrugged, pulling the door open. Rose's breath caught in her throat, and the Doctor froze. Wherever the staircase in front of them lead to, it _reeked_. The smell of blood and death curled around her, and she shivered. Her hand squeezed the Doctor's hand hard enough to hurt it, but he didn't withdraw.

"What..." Rose asked, wide eyed. The ganger met her gaze.

"Looks, and odors, can be deceiving," he warned, eyes narrowing. Rose frowned in confusion. What did he mean? Had he been making a joke? Shaking it off, she turned back to the Doctor, who had his eyes trained on her. Casting the ganger a wary glance, he started down the stairs, keeping his hand wrapped around Rose's. The ganger followed them down, shutting the door behind them. Rose squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut tight. She really hated this. The wooden steps sounded close to snapping, causing the Doctor to speed up his pace. The ganger slipped in front of them, taking keys from his pockets (where did he keep getting this stuff?) and putting it into the keyhole. A tiny light slipped from around a corner, and the Doctor was hurrying forward instantly, a determined look plastered across his face.

He used the sonic screwdriver to unlock the door from several feet away, then pushed it open. The light blinded all three of them. Rose stumbled back in surprise, and a horrible, angry shriek pierced her ears. Something happened between the Doctor and the ganger, some sort of commotion, and she fell forward, her chin hitting the stone ground. Pain lashed to her head and down her spine, but she pushed herself up, and immediately froze, eyes wide with horror. The Doctor had his eyes shut tight, with the same, blood-coated, silver dagger held against his throat. With a quick movement, the ganger pulled the dagger across the Doctor's throat, and the Doctor slumped to the ground.

**A/N: *le gasp* I'm sorry. (No I'm not.) I feel mean... and nervous... erp... *slowly backs away into corner*  
**

**This chapter did take a while, though, and I'm sorry about that. I'd like to say I've just been busy, but... I've just been lazy...  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Rose was shaking... probably visibly. Tears streaked her red cheeks, her teeth piercing her lower lip, trying to hold back cries; they came out as pitiful whimpers. It seemed impossible that the ganger could have as much guilt plastered across his face after purposely... she tried not to think of it, but her gaze kept resting on the still body of the man she'd traveled with for nearly two years by now. Her body felt numb, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die.

"I'm sorry," the ganger croaked. Rose lifted her gaze to rest on him. She could see him tensing up, shifting into a defensive position like he expected her to tackle him to the ground and strangle him (which she might still do). Her eyes flickered between the man on the floor, and the ganger. Her throat tightened, and she didn't dare to let out a breath, as if holding it would make everything better. This couldn't be real- it just _couldn't_. Not only did the ganger have absolutely no reason to hate the Doctor or her, but he had no reason to even lay a finger on the Doctor, let alone... she slowly pushed herself up, so she was on her hands and knees, and crawled over to the body. The ganger made a quiet hissing noise in the back of his throat, Rose's head snapping to glare at him, a fire blazing in her eyes. He looked ready to sprint out the door from whatever he saw in her stare, but he stood rooted to the spot, eyes narrowed, breathing heavy. Rose's lungs felt tight from lack of air. She quickly let out the breath she'd been holding ever since the Doctor's head had smacked against the ground. She winced, the memory replaying itself over and over in her mind before she stumbled to her feet and tried to ignore the overwhelming need to collapse, curl into a ball, and cry.

"You're sorry? You just killed my best friend, and you're _sorry_?"

Rose knew instantly who she sounded like. Him- well, the past him. The first him she'd ever met. Another wave of emotions swept over her, and she tried desperately to push them away, her cheeks finally drying off. She didn't want another waterfall of the salty tears. Taking a deep breath, she took a step forward, and with a swift movement, punched him- hard- across the face. His eyes widened and he fell backwards, slamming into the wall. The dim light above flickered, the knife skidding across the floor. Rose tried to dash toward it, although she wasn't sure what she would do with it, but the ganger caught her ankle, sending her sprawling to the ground. His breath hissed between his teeth, trying to crawl over to the other side of the room to fetch the knife. Rose tackled him, a gasp escaping his lips as she unintentionally smacked his head against the cold stone flooring. Her elbow dug into his stomach unintentionally. He winced, lying winded. Rose pinned him down, one knee digging into his stomach, the other on the ground. Her hands were pressing down on his shoulders, harder then necessary, his face screwed up in pain. She didn't let up, staring down at him, their eyes locking.

He looked lost for words, his eyes wide and watery although whether that was from pain or guilt, she didn't know. Neither of them said a word, just stared at each other. The ganger swallowed and sniffed, gritting his teeth.

"Rose," he hissed, struggling underneath her grip. "I promise you, it's not-"

Rose didn't let him finish his sentence, driving her knee into his stomach. He squeaked in pain and tried curling up into a ball. Rose scrambled away from him, darting across the room, and scooping up the knife in her hand. She swirled around to stare at him, wide-eyed. He was still on the ground, but quickly scrambled to his feet, a pained expression on his face. He froze as the knife caught his gaze, his jaw tightening. The light above was swinging, making a soft creaking noise that echoed around the room. Rose was more scared then she cared to admit, her heart beating so fast, he could probably hear it. She stared at him, breathing heavy, nearly expecting him to pull a gun or something out of his pocket.

He glanced side-ways, his eyes widening. Rose followed his gaze, confused, expecting something bad, but seeing only the same blank wall. She gasped, feeling stupid as his arms wrapped around her waist and he brought her to the ground, sending the knife across the room again. The rolls had been switched, his hands pressing down her shoulder, but much more lightly.

Rose scowled, "I can't believe I just..."

The ganger smirked, opening his mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance, a thin, black dart digging into his neck. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed onto her, his weight leaving her breathless. She tried desperately to scramble away, lack of breath already making her dizzy. She felt the sharp prick of a dart hit her neck, and everything went black.

XXX

Rose could hear footsteps and harsh breathing from the opposite side of the room. Something warm and cozy was draped around her shoulders, and she pulled on it to make it tighter, her head aching. The area smelled strongly of dirt and vomit, making Rose feel sick herself. The movement at the other end stopped, along with the heavy breathing; replaced by the sound of somebody sliding down a wall. She frowned and forced her eyes open, instantly wishing to close them. The lights were bright, and they blinded her for a few moments. The room itself was a cell- a jail cell. The bars looked old and rusted, but somehow, strong and unbreakable. Roots hung from the ceiling, suggesting she wasn't far from the surface of the earth. The thought delighted her. What she wouldn't give to breath in some fresh air after hours underground...

Rose forced herself to sit up, wishing she hadn't. She had to lean against the dirt wall behind her to keep herself from falling onto her side again. Her head spun, her heart racing, mostly from fear. For a few seconds, she was confused, unsure of how she ended up in the jail cell, until she remembered everything from the past hour- being escorted by the Doctor and the ganger down into cellar that smelled horrible, the ganger's odd warning (or whatever he'd meant by "looks can be deceiving- of course, she'd heard the saying before, but at the time it hadn't made sense, and it still didn't), and the ganger pulling out the knife and...

She winced, a sudden bolt of panic coursing through her. Where was the Doctor? Where was his body, anyway? She quickly leapt to her feet. That was a mistake. Her legs gave out almost immediately, and she crumbled to the floor, wincing. Through her hazy vision, she saw the Doctor- no, the ganger- jump to his feet and scramble over towards her, using his hand to support her head. She tried to push him away, frustrated and upset with him (which was an understatement), feeling her cheeks become wet again as memories came crashing down. A whimper escaped her lips when he pulled her into a hug, holding her to his chest. She wanted to yell and protest, to push him away, find the knife he'd had earlier and... she shuddered at the violent thoughts swirling inside her head. They were wrong, and it disgusted her that they were present in her mind. The Doctor would have hated them, he would have done everything he could have to rip them out of her head and toss them into a supernova.

The simple thought that _the Doctor wasn't there anymore_ ran through her head, but that only managed to disgust her more. She pushed away the thoughts and let herself sob freely into the gangers shirt. It was then she realized that it was the ganger's brown, pinstripped suit jacket that was still wrapped around her. Had the ganger put it on her?

She managed to force a muffled, 'what for?' from her aching throat, pointing at the jacket. He glanced at it, shrugging.

"You were shivering, I thought you might be cold. That's why humans usually shiver, isn't it? Because they're cold? I was once on this planet-"

"The Doctor," Rose interrupted coldly, glaring at him.

"What?"

"_The Doctor _was once on 'this planet'. You're just a copy- and ya' know what? You're not even that. You have his memories and his looks. That's all. You're violent and cruel and you're horrible."

He stared at her, biting his lip as he tried to find an answer, and clearly failed, glancing away. Rose finally managed to push herself away from him and shove the jacket into his hands. He took it, but he didn't look happy about having it back, like he'd rather she had it. Rose stumbled to her feet, with some unwanted help from the ganger.

She back up against a wall, resting her head back against it, ignoring the bits of dirt that fell into her hair. "Where are we, then?" She muttered, trying to ignore their previous conversation. "Besides the obvious," she added.

"2nd floor, left side, 6th hallway," the ganger replied, without any hesitation. Rose could only stare. He slowly realized how quickly he'd given her their location, and diverted his eyes to the floor, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Rose glanced down, her eye-lashes wet from tears. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest and she took a deep shaky breath.

"It's not my fault," he said coldly, his arms crossed over his chest. He leaned against the wall, banging his head against it lightly.

She looked up, letting out an angry laugh, "It's completely your fault!" She spat, and then froze, horrified at the look gleaming in his eyes. It wasn't just anger, it was death and violence and _hate_. Her breath quickened, his lips curling up into a snarl. She didn't respond.

"_Humans_. You call aliens the monsters, but look at yourself." Faster then her eyes could keep up with, he crossed and the room, pinning her against the wall, gritting his teeth and shaking as if he was trying not to just kill her. The familiar brown orbs had become midnight black, and the jail cell suddenly seemed much darker. The ganger shook his head, the grip on Rose's wrists getting tighter with each passing second. He had her left wrist on it's side so when he pushed, it _hurt_. Sparks of pain shot up her arm and she whimpered, trying to pull away from him. She hated this. She hated him. She wanted the Doctor, she wanted her best friend. She gasped, wincing as he pulled her back and threw her to the floor.

He was by her side in an instant, purposely moving his foot to rest on her wrist again. The smart thing would've been to move away from him, to scream for help. To kick and hit him, try to knock him unconscious, but she was frozen was fear and shock. He didn't even look like the Doctor anymore. He looked... well, for lack of better words, he looked ready to kill her. He looked like he'd drive a knife into her stomach, if he carried a knife with him. He leaned down in front of her face, placing a hand on her neck, tightening his grip. She closed her eyes, doing something Rose Tyler rarely did: she prayed. For her life, for the ganger's sanity... and for the Doctor. Yes- she'd seen him have his throat slit, seen his body fall, lifeless, to the floor, but... he was the Doctor...

She hissed in surprise as he pulled her back to her feet and dragged her over to the bars of the cell, holding her by the back of her shirt. "Look," he spat, pointing out, across the hall. She blinked, confused. Across from the cell was only another, and it was empty. She glanced at him, chewing her lip. He rolled his eyes. "Look harder."

Rose obliged, but still saw the same thing. She was beginning to think he was insane (oh, wait...). Her eyes shifted down the hallway, hoping that somebody would come and save her. He pulled back again, rolling his eyes and finally letting her go. She crumbled to the ground, a sobbing mess. He gripped the bars tightly, shaking them like he expected them to snap. He cursed loudly, screaming. Rose backed away, pitiful whimpering noises escaping her lips.

She could only watch when the ganger broke out crying and collapsed on the floor, pushing himself away from her like she carried a disease. He sat in the corner, shaking and whimpering, his hands buried in his hair, gripping it tightly. What had happened to him in such a short time? He was insane! Rose had heard stories of people going mad over time, but never in two minutes flat. Usually it took years... maybe it was a Time Lord thing? Either way, she had to calm him down, and quickly. He was now using his hands to push himself farther into the corner- of course, nothing happened as he was pushed up against it as much as he could be. His feet slipped on the floor, and he kept his head facing down. Was it her?

The thought surprised her. He looked like he was actually in physical pain- what could she be doing to cause that? She glanced away, mostly because her heart was aching for the ganger. And she didn't want that. She didn't want to pity him. She didn't want to pity the _fake _man that had killed her best friend. She tried convincing herself that he deserved pain, but something in her was fighting that. She knew it wasn't true.

Taking a deep breath, Rose scooted forward, biting her lip. The ganger didn't look up, but he stopped shaking. She reached out nervously, poking him lightly in the stomach like she did when she found the Doctor asleep on the couch. The room become painfully quiet. Rose withdrew her hand, biting down on her tongue.

"Sorry," he muttered, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," she lied in a whisper, shrugging. Oh, a big lie. He had so much to be sorry for at this point, but telling him that wasn't going to make the situation any better.

He laughed dryly, but said nothing else. He finally lifted his head. His black irises had faded back to their original brown, but he still looked angry. Not with her, though. With himself. Rose's neck still stung from when he'd had his hand wrapped around it, and she had a feeling that her left wrist might be fractured. He looked her up and down, eventually raking a hand through his hair and turning away.

"We're going to get out of here."

That was it? No, 'Sorry about my little mood swing just there, it won't happen again!' or 'Thanks for putting up with my crap and my nearly killing you!'. Just 'we're going to get out of here'. Rose wanted to ask so badly what had happened, that it just made her neck and wrist hurt again. Of course, bringing it up would just anger him more. Slowly, almost expecting him to launch at her, she rose to her feet. He did the same, dusting of invisible dirt off his pants before taking a deep breath. He glanced at her, rocking back on his heels.

He cleared his throat before speaking, "Err, right, don't listen to anything else I say tonight, okay?"

Rose frowned. "Okay?"

He quickly shifted over to the bars, securing both hands over two of the bars, and screamed bloody murder.

**A/N: 89% of you just went, "wut...". I know what I'm doing now, though. :3 Annnywaay, hopefully you could put up with that level of weirdness/whatever that even was and... stuff. c: I figured this was a good place to stop, because my back hurts from bending over in a crap chair and my fingers hurt from typing and I need sleep... (I complain to you guys a lot, don't I?)**** I feel like I'm in a bad mood. Urp. Anyway. Yes. Reviews send me into happy places of chocolate cream stuff with a lot of cookie-dough ice-cream on top. :3  
**


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